Polls close in Calgary 2026 Olympic plebiscite vote

By 660 NEWS STAFF AND CITYNEWS STAFF

CALGARY (660 NEWS and CITYNEWS) – Thousands of votes are being tallied, and were nearing a decision on whether, or not Calgary will explore a potential bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tuesday’s plebiscite vote as of 5 p.m. (MST) saw 207,784 Calgarians at the polls, despite the results being officially non-binding.

The current deal in place sees the city paying $390 million (plus $150 million credit for previous financial commitments to improve a downtown district that would be a games hub) before any potential cost overruns.

Premier Rachel Notley said her government will dedicate $700 million; the federal government has said it will commit $1.45 billion; the Town of Canmore is covering $3 million, while the International Olympic Committee said it will contribute $1.2 billion.

Calgary could still move forward with a bid and lose it to one of the other bidders. As it stands, Stockholm, Sweden and a joint bid from Milan and Cortina, Italy are still in the running.

At the Regular Meeting of Council on Monday, the Returning Officer will provide council with a report on the official results, and council will determine the next steps. Should council decide to proceed, this bid will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee in January 2019.

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